Electric or cable railway car



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- S. A. BEMIS & L. PFINGST.

ELECTRIC 0B, UABLE RAILWAY GAR. No. 402,890. Patented May 7, 1889.

N. PETERS. PMlo-Liihagflphnr. Washinglom QC.

(No Model.\ 4 2 SheetsSheet 2.

S. A. BEMIS 8: L. PPINGST! ELECTRIC 0R CABLE RAILWAY GAR.

N0. 402,890- Patented May 7, 1889.

n. Pains PMIwI-hhagnphnr, Walhingium D.(L

UNITED TATES ATENT OFFICE.

SUMNER A. BEMIS, OF SPRINGFIELD, AND LOUIS PFINGST, OF BOSTON,

MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC OR CABLE RAILWAY CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,890, dated May '7, 1889.

Application filed February 15, 1889- Serial No. 300,043. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SUMNER A. BEMIS and LoUIs Prmcs'r, citizens of the United States, residing at Springfield and Boston, respectively, in the counties of Hampden and Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric or Cable Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electrically propelled railway cars, particularly in the construction of the truck thereof, the object thereof being to provide a truck of simple and durable construction from which the car may be spring-supported, and which truck entirely of itself will afford means for the support of one or more electric motors thereon for the propulsion of the car, whereby any springing or vibratory motion of the car upon the truck may be independent of and without effect upon the motor.

The invention also relates to other and minor constructions, and from the description and claims, as hereinafter comprised in this specification, the constructions wherein the invention resides will be clearly understood.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of an electric-railway car-truck constructed in accordance with this invention, also showing in a conventional manner two electric motors supported thereon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the truck, also showing the sill of the car supported thereon. Figs. 3 and i are views in detail, to be hereinafter referred to, Fig. 3 being a View in perspective, and Fig. 4 a cross-sectional view on the line 00 00, Fig. 1.

The forward and rear axles a of the fourwheeled truck A are journaled in suitable boxes, I) I), supported by the braces or pedestals c cfrom the sills d of the car-body, springs being applied between and with relation to the said car-body and said journal-boxes, whereby the usual yielding support of the former is secured, the particular disposition of said springs being hereinafter clearly set forth. A yoke, B, centrally of an arched or U shape and having forward and rearward horizontaljextensions, is supported by the under side of its arched portion on the top of each j ournal-box and ranges in the direction of the length of the car. In practice the under side of the arched portion of each yoke is socketed, as at f, and a cushion, g, as of rubber, is interposed between the top of the journal-box and the top wall of said socket. The extension Z of each yoke 6 toward the end of the car is herein termed the outer yokeextension, while the extension on of each yoke toward the central portion of the length of the car is termed the inner yoke-extension.

Each journal-box frame i is provided in about the horizontal plane of the car-wheel axle a with forward and rearward bearing-sockets 7c, in which are cushions g, of rubber or equivalent material, capable of a slight degree of compression, and on said cushions the inner and outer yoke-extensions rest.

The car-body is spring-supported from the yokes, mounted as described; and as a practical manner of forming and arranging the said supporting means the upper side of each yoke-extension is socketed, as at j, in which ing against a boss, 0, on the under side of the car-sill cl. Vertical stay and guide rods 19 are passed through and rigidly secured to the sill, and passing through said bosses, through and within the coils of said spiral car-springs, loosely through openings q in the Web-walls forming the bottom of the sockets in the yokeextensions, loosely through the yoke-supporting cushions g, journal-box frame 1', and the pedestal-braces c, and said rods have at their lower ends below said braces limiting-heads r, for abutment against the under side of the pedestal-brace.

The inner extensions of the forward and rearward yokes at each side of the truck are firmly joined to and connected by an intermediate beam, 0. If desired, the compound and beam-connected yoke may be formed as an integral part, although it is preferred to form the yokes and beam separately, uniting them by lap-jointing and bolts. Cross-beams D are secured to and disposed between the sockets rest the spiral car-springs a, each bearouter yoke-extension, Z, and intermediate of the length of the yoke-beams O is a rigidlysecured cross girder, beam, or truss, E.

The compound or beam-united yokes, the outer cross-beams, D D, uniting said outer yoke-extensions, and the intermediate cross truss or girder constitute the yoke-frame.

X and Y in Fig. 1 represent in a conventional manner electric motors. The one X is shown as supported on the car-wheel axle and on the beam D, uniting the outer yokeextensions. Ordinarily the shape and size of the electric motor is such that it is desirable to have the beam below the horizontal plane of the axle, and, as shown in Fig. 2, the said cross-beam is supported in such depressed position by hangers s, firmly bolted to said crossbeam and to said yoke-extensions.

A brace, t, is secured at each end of the cross-beam or to the hangers joined thereto, and extends horizontally under the yoke and upwardly, being secured to one or the other of the yoke-extensions. Said brace extends forwardly (or rearwardly, accordingly as one or the other end of the track is assumed to be the forward end) and forms the sustaining means for the guard F, usually employed in cable and electric cars.

The cross girder or truss E, as seen in Figs. 3 and l, consists of upper and lower separated members, it it, between and parallel with the intermediate portions of which is a plate, 1*, confined at each end between the upper and lower rubber cushions w 20 between said plate and the members of the truss, the said plate being held together by axial rods. The said cushioned plate of the truss E may form a suitable support for an electric motor, as Y, when its disposition is preferably made in side of the axle instead of outside thereof, as at X, the other end of the motor Y being supported on the axle. The said truss E is projected laterally outside of and with relation to the truck, on which is supported in a downwardly-extending direction the plow y, so called, for moving in the conduit and making the electric connection between the motor and the electric conductor.

The mounting of the yoke-frame on slightlyyielding cushions supported on the journalboxes or the frames thereof and supporting the car-body through the intervention of more elastic springs from said yoke-frame insures the desirable capabilities in the carthat is, the ear is capable of the bounding or spring motion to any extent deemed proper, while the motor or motors are so cushion-supported that no rigid shock will be imparted thereto, and yet from any greater or less vibration of the car-body the motion thereof will not be imparted in any degree to the motor. Furthermore, the plow will be carried steadily for its proper and uninterrupted contact with the electric conduct-or.

The invention, while hereinbefore described with particular reference to an electric-car truck, is equally as well applicable to a cablecar truck, for the grip mechanism may be supported by and from the said yoke-frame in a manner to be entirely unaffected by the movements of the car-body. The said plow (shown in Fig. 3 as projected to one side of the car) will of course, when the electric conduit is between the track-rails, be disposed centrally on the truck.

What we claim as our invention is 1. In a car-truck, the combination,with the journalboxes and the cushions g on the tops thereof, of the yoke-frame consisting of the arched yokes resting on said cushions g, the longitudinal yoke connecting beams, and transverse connectin g-beams, substantially as described.

2. The truck comprising the j ournalboxes, yielding cushions thereon, and the yoke-frame consisting of the arched yokes to rest on the top of each journal-box cushion, the longitudinal yoke-connecting beams, and transverse connecting-beams, combined with a carbody spring supported from said yoke-fran1e, substantially as described.

3. In a car-truck, the combination,with the journal-boxes and their extension-frames, z' and the cushions g g g for each journal supported thereon, of the yoke-frame consisting of two pairs of yokes, B, each having a cen tral arched portion and inner and outer extensions resting on said cushions, a pair of longitudinal beams, O, uniting the side pairs of yokes, and cross-beams uniting the compound yokes at each side of the truck, substantially as described.

4. A yoke-fra1ne consisting of two pairs of yolzcs having arched intermediate portions and inner and outer extensions, longitudinal beams O, uniting said inner yoke-extensions, hangers 5, supported on the outer yoke-extensions, and transverse beams D between and secured to said hangers, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. A yoke-frame consisting of two pairs of yokcs having arched intermediate portions and inner and outer extensions, longitudinal beams O, uniting said inner yoke-extensions, hangers .9, supported on the outer yokcextensions, transverse beams D between and secured to said hangers, and the braces 1, sub stantially as described.

SUMNER A. llEMTS. LOUTS llilNGS'l.

\Vitnesscs to S. A. 13.:

II. A. CHAPIN, W M. S. BELLows.

Vitnesses to L. 1

O. M. SHAW, F. T. PULLEN. 

